Old Iron Bridge (Bastrop, Texas) Explained

Old Iron Bridge
Carries:Pedestrian traffic
Crosses:Colorado River
Locale:Bastrop, Texas
USA
Owner:City of Bastrop
Design:Parker through truss bridge
Material:Steel, reinforced concrete
Length:1285feet
Mainspan:192feet
Lanes:2
Architect:G.G. Wickline
Contracted Designer:R.E. Schiller
Builder:Kansas City Bridge Company
Cost:$167,500
Extra:
Embed:yes
Old Iron Bridge
Coordinates:30.105°N -97.3228°W
Map Label:Old Iron Bridge at Bastrop
Locmap Relief:yes
Added:July 19, 1990
Area:less than one acre
Mpsub:Bastrop Historic and Architectural MRA
Refnum:90001031

The Old Iron Bridge, also referred to as Colorado River Bridge, is a 1285feet-long bridge with three steel truss spans and concrete piers that crosses the Colorado River in Bastrop, Texas, United States. The bridge is one of the earliest surviving uses of the Parker truss in Texas.[1]

History

With automobiles becoming the dominant form of transportation in the United States after World War I, a new bridge was needed to handle the increasing traffic between Houston and Austin. The original estimate of the cost of the Old Iron Bridge was $45,000 and was partially financed by bonds and local taxes. Bids on the project were solicited and the Kansas City Bridge Co. was selected as contractor. The final cost of the bridge's construction was $167,500. The bridge was completed in 1923 and opened for use in January 1924. The original bridge torn down in the early 1930s.[2]

The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1990.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Herrera . Andrés . October 30, 2024 . Old Iron Bridge . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241107192200/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/old-iron-bridge . November 7, 2024 . Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association.
  2. Web site: 1990 . National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Colorado River Bridge at Bastrop) . . Texas Historical Commission.